Car-coupling.



No. '643445. Patented Feb. r3, lam). f

A. s. MARTIN.-

CAR CUUPLING.

A 1 catxon led Apr. 17, 1899) (No Model.)

W" wref. e" n y. j' It, I Il' will@ ilNrTEn STATES PATENT EErcE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,145, dated.February 13, 1900.

Application led April 17,1899.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTHONY S. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Maiden, in the county of Catawba and State of NorthCarolina, have invented a new and useful Car-Ooupling, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in car-couplings.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofcar-couplings and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive onecapable ot' coupling automatically and adapted to be readily uncoupledfrom the tops and sides of ears without going between them.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter1 fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a car-couplingconstructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to acar. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing two cars coupled.Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View. Fig. 4 is aldetail perspectiveview of the link. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the lever forengaging the arm of the arrow-headed link.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all theiigures of the drawings.

l designates a draw-head open at the top and composed of vertical sidesand a horizontal bottom, and pivoted between the sides is asubstantially horizontal arrow-headed link 2, mounted on a transversepin 3 and having its engaging shoulders or hooks at its top and bottomand adapted to interlock with a corresponding arrow-headed link, asillustrated in Fig. 2 0f the accompanying drawings. The arrow-headedlinks, which present pointed or tapered outer portions, are adapted toengage each other automatically, and either link may be arranged at thetop or bottom.

The arrow-headed link is supported by a coiled spring 4,arranged withinthe draw-head and interposed between the bottom of the same and theshank of the link and secured to both of said parts, as clearlyillustrated in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings. The link Serial110.713,408. (No modela.

and the draw-head are provided with studs or projections fitting withinthe ends of the extending upward and inward from the link` and havingits upper or rear end located above the draw-head and adapted to beengaged by a depressible lever 6, arranged in a substantially horizontalplane and fulcrumed at its rear end on a post or support 7 of thedrawhead. The lever 6, which engages the arm 5 at a point between itsends, projects outward beyond the upper end of the arm 5, and its outerend, which is curved upward slightly, is adapted to be engaged bydevices for lifting the arrow-headed link out of engagement andeffecting the operation of uncoupling.

The depressible lever is operated from the top of the car, asillustrated in Fig. l of the accompanying drawings, by avertically-movable rod `8, mounted in suitable guides V9 of a car l0 andextending from the depressible lever to the top of the car. By thisconstruction the operation of uncoupling may be performed from the topsof cars without leaving the same and by simply depressing the leverwhich is connected with the upper link of each pair.

The operation of uncoupling may be performed from the sides of cars byinner and outer levers ll and l2, fulcrumed between their ends andarranged as shown in Fig. l. The inner end ot' the inner lever islocated above the depressible lever, and its outer end is weighted forholding its inner end normally above and out of engagement with thedepressible lever. The outer lever l2 is provided at its outer end witha handle, and its inner end is located beneath the adjacent end of theinner lever, and when the handle portion of the outer lever is depressedthe link will be raised. The arms of the inner lever 1l are arranged ata slight angle to each other and extend upward, and the arms of theouter lever are disposed at a slight angle and ex- IOO 'tend in theopposite direction at the pivot,

the outer arm of the outer lever being curved and having its outerportion extending up- Ward. The arrangement of levers shown in Fig. l isdesigned for box-cars, and when the car-coupling is employed onflat-cars a single lever may be used.

The draw-head is provided at its front end with a horizontal slot 13 andhas perforated ears arranged in pairs and extending out horizontallyfrom bothA sides of the draw-head above and below the slot. The slot andthe perforated ears enable the draw-head to couple with an ordinarypin-and-link car-coupling, and in the event ofthe breakage of any of theparts of a coupling two cars may be coupled with an ordinary link.

The invention has the following advantages: The car-coupling, which issimple and comparativelyinexpensive in construction, is positive,reliable, and automatic in its operation, and it may be readily coupledand uncoupled from the tops and sides of cars without going betweenthem. It is adapted to couple with an ordinary pin-and-link coupling,andin the event of the breakage of any of the parts an ordinary link canbe used.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

What I claim isl. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head, alink pivoted within the drawhead and arranged to swing vertically, anarm extending rearward from the link beyond the pivotal point thereofand projecting above the draw-head, a post or support carried by thedraw-head, a horizontal lever 6 fulcrumed at its rear end on the post orsupport and engaging the arm of the link and extending forward beyondthe car, and operating mechanism mounted on the car and arranged toengage the lever 6, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination with a car, of a draw-head, ahorizontal link pivotally mounted Within the draw-head and arranged toswing vertically, and provided With a rearwardly-extending armprojecting above the draw-head, a horizontal lever 6 fulcrumed at itsinner end and engaging the arm of the link and extending beyond the car,a vertically-movable rod mounted in suitable guides of the car andhaving its lower end arranged to engage the lever 6, said rod having itsupper end arranged at the top of the car in position to be depressed bythe foot, and means for depressing the lever 6 from the side of the car,substantially as described.

3. In-a car-coupling, the `combination with a car, of a draw-head, alink pivotally mounted in the draw-head, arranged to swing verticallyand provided with an arm extending above the draw-head, a depressiblelever 6 fulcru med on the draw-head and engaging the arm of the link andprojecting beyond the car, the inner lever 1l fulcrumed on the car andhaving one arm arranged to engage the depressible lever and having itsother arm weighted, and the outer lever 12 fulcrumed between its endsand extending to the side of the car, its inner end being arrangedbeneath the Weighted end of the lever 1l, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afxed mysignature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ANTHONY S. MARTIN.

Witnesses:

GEO. R. PLo'rr, JACOB ABERNATHY.

